2015-16 Season Thursday Recap
Written By: Nick LeMart June 3, 2016 Today, we'll be recapping the powerful 2015-16 Thursday season, which continued to grow from the 2013-14 boom. The programming average jumped by a whopping 54%, which not only tops last year's already huge 38% gain, but also qualifies as the biggest increase the television industry has ever seen. What made this season extraordinary is that each network had at least one show break into icon territory. The newbie class was also incredibly strong. ABC's raw numbers rebounded this season to above their Grey's Anatomy levels, and it registered as the top network average in television history. The alphabet network's decision to dismantle the "Guilty Pleasure Thursday" lineup in favor of an 8pm comedy hour fumed a lot of controversy, but it payed off to some extent. Wednesday legend Modern Family (201) was shipped to 8pm to lead off the night, and it just about matched the 200 that Nashville did in the hour last year, so you could say that was a great success. 8:30 told a different story, however, as the highly anticipated freshman Delaware Valley (57) flopped big time in the fall. But ABC got a lot of redemption at midseason when they premiered megahit Bookended (166), which started slow but became one of the strongest new shows of the season. Overall, 8pm was a little down year-to-year, but it surely exceeded ABC's expectations. The fire was lit later in the night, when legendary Wisteria Lane (323) surged from its already impressive freshman levels and helped veteran Nashville (313) breakout into a legend as well. This combo (which held the #1 and #2 ranks) was arguably the biggest success of the season, especially considering many were outraged with ABC's decision to give the coveted post-''Wisteria Lane'' slot to an established veteran. CBS grew big this season, and eked out a second place finish. In the beginning of the season, they were actually on a winning streak, but that flamed out quickly. At 8pm, 2 Broke Girls (108) was nearly identical to its 2014-15 level, which, considering the timeslot change, has to be a victory for the eyeball net. 8:30 was occupied by the powerhouse sophomore sensation Central Perk (276), which soared into the top four after debuting as a megahit last season, and proved one of the biggest highlights of the season. The night was anchored by the final season of #1 comedy Two and a Half Men (296), which exploded to its biggest numbers ever and nearly cracked into legend territory; a great finish to CBS's most profitable series of all time. 9:30 newbie Schmidt Enterprises (143) registered as a big hit, but some argued that the retention was underwhelming considering it's a spin-off of its lead-in. A risky comedy hour was developed at 10pm in place of a drama, and the penultimate season of iconic veteran The Big Bang Theory (239) anchored it; the show (which was barely solid last season) surged to almost its biggest level ever (just behind the 249 in 2012-13). 10:30 was an absolute disaster, and it all began with the critically bashed debacle Penny's Palace (37) airing in the fall and disappearing after its nine episode order. The shortened final season of veteran Mike & Molly (2), which was used as a mid-season replacement between January and February, was surprisingly a huge debacle, posting the lowest CBS number in television history. The net gave the slot one more try with the marginal Howard's Mother (88), which, despite premiering after the Super Bowl and being lauded by critics and fans alike, could never really gain a sizable audience. FOX ended in last place again, marking a troubling three consecutive times this has happened. Despite the rank, the net had a pretty good season. Like many a network before it, FOX opted for an 8pm comedy hour, and they had Tuesday critical darling New Girl (99) lead it off at a nearly solid level. Their big story took place at 8:30, where they debuted the iconic Sister Tales ''(207), which ended up as the #1 new show of the season by a significant margin. Another gamechanger for FOX was the second season of growth from veteran ''The X Factor (178), which went from marginal in 2013-14 to a borderline big hit in 2014-15 to now a clear megahit. The final season of The Following (109) occupied the 10pm slot, where it grew into a very solid player. NBC fell down a notch to third, but remained a force to be reckoned with. Revolution (115) grew into a hit at 8pm, and provided a very nice launching pad for the rest of the night. At 9pm, Chicago Fire (211) rocketed into icon territory, proving its worth as a veteran Thursday anchor. Like CBS, NBC tried out a 10pm comedy hour, and their's was overall a greater success. ''1600 Penn ''(186), which was banished to Friday last season, returned to the night in striking fashion, finishing as a large megahit. It led into newbie ''Checker Street ''(103) at 10:30, which was the picture of volatility; it debuted as a hit, grew into a megahit around midseason, then dropped into debacle territory in the spring, before picking up late and posting a legendary finale number which likely sealed its renewal. Now we have some interesting averages... Average Show: 165 (Megahit) Average Drama: 214 (Icon) Average Comedy: 147 (Big Hit) Average Newbie: 115 (Hit) Average ABC Show: 212 (Icon) Average CBS Show: 149 (Big Hit) Average FOX Show: 148 (Big Hit) Average NBC Show: 154 (Megahit)